


Love and Volatility

by HawthorneUK



Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Consensual Sex, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-31
Updated: 2016-06-12
Packaged: 2018-07-11 08:51:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7041460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HawthorneUK/pseuds/HawthorneUK
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The life, loves and upsets of my Female Sith Warrior, Tirasi.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beginnings

The first time Tirasi met Lt. Malavai Quinn was in his scruffy offices just outside Sobrik Spaceport on Balmorra. He was dressing down a junior corporal, and there was such fire and passion in his voice, and his blue eyes were harder than steel as he spoke. When he dismissed the man, and noticed her presence, it was as though shutters slammed down to cover the emotion, and he was immediately at textbook-perfect attention, bowing and welcoming her to the planet in a manner that stopped just short of obsequious. 

He was sufficiently good looking, albeit in a very clean-cut way, for her to check him over when he turned his back on her to raise Darth Baras on the holo - broad shoulders, very nice backside, trim waist, smoothly muscled thighs. He was tall, too - they stood eye-to-eye as he briefed her. Such a shame that the proverbial stick up his arse meant that he wasn’t likely to fall for any flirtation in the short time that she would be on the planet. 

Tirasi would have been the first to admit that she enjoyed sex, craved it sometimes, and also that she hadn’t had any time free since becoming apprentice to Darth Baras. She resigned herself to the fact that she would have to do without male (or female, for that matter - seducing Vette was out of the question as she was far too young) company for a while.

Still, there was no harm in trying. By the time that her mission on Balmorra was nearing its conclusion, and she was finally in a position to seek out Commander Rylon in order to kill him and ensure that the rest of Darth Baras’s spy network would be safe, she was able to crack through some of his prim and proper behaviour. Fixing her orange eyes on his blue ones, and pulling the conversation in unexpected directions, she was able to make him stutter and blush, much to Vette’s amusement and approval.

Tirasi was intrigued by Darth Baras’s statement to Lt. Quinn that he had “sufficiently repaid his debt”, and that he would have a promotion and his choice of posting, but with everything else going on it slipped to the back of her mind. She was completely unaware, therefore, that while she was tidying up the final loose ends of tasks that she had undertaken, he was hurriedly packing his few possessions, hoping against hope that he would make it to the spaceport in time.

As a result, the newly-minted Captain Quinn was waiting in the Sith Warrior hanger at Sobrik Spaceport when Tirasi and Vette arrived. Sparks of the fire that had been in his eyes the first time Tirasi had seen him reignited as he told her of his dream to make the biggest impact on the Empire that he could, and as he asked to be allowed to serve her. He should, however, have expected the flirtatious response to his pledge that he was “Ready and willing to serve in whatever capacity you see fit,” that was followed by Tirasi welcoming him to her crew.

 

Having Quinn on board was turning out to be a very good thing, in more ways than one. He seemed to know pretty much everything about the ship and its operation. It also meant that Tirasi could continue her charm offensive, flirting with (or at) him at every opportunity. To his credit, he was becoming much more adept at dodging her leading comments, rather than becoming flustered - she could swear that he was beginning to enjoy himself. 

He was also beginning to relax a little more in their company. Around the ship, Tirasi and Vette typically wore loose, comfortable clothing - Vette had a favourite brown furry robe that she’d persuaded Tirasi to buy for her before they left Balmorra that made her look like a very short wookiee, while Tirasi favoured soft cotton shorts, tank tops, and bare feet. Quinn found this most distracting - particularly the line of V-shaped ridges down her sternum, accentuating her cleavage that was just visible at the neckline of her top. The words “unprofessional” and “inappropriate” formed a significant part of his internal monologue some days - and if asked he couldn’t have said whether they were directed more at Tirasi or at himself.

Quinn, on the other hand, had at least started leaving his jacket off as he worked - he seemed to spend more time on the bridge than anywhere else on the ship.

Tirasi also appreciated being able to leave Vette out of most of her missions. While Vette was perfectly willing to watch her back, monitoring her condition and taking the occasional pot-shot at her opponents, she was growing to care deeply about the young Twi’lek, and would rather not expose her to some of the things that she did. One of those things was the sheer joy that overcame Tirasi in the heat of battle - she felt more alive in the almost orgasmic ecstasy of blood and combat than she did at any other time.

Quinn had expressed an interest in studying some field medicine, and Tirasi encouraged him - having a decent field medic on her team could be a literal lifesaver. He neatly sidestepped her offer to let him practice his examination skills on her, however.

As they worked their way through Nar Shaddaa, and moved onto Tatooine, Quinn having her back started to become second nature - he could anticipate her next move almost as well as she could herself, readying adrenals and kolto as needed, as well as helping to patch up the odd blaster burn. They both loathed Tatooine - the heat was bad enough, but once you added in the fine layer of sand that coated everything within minutes, it was miserable - even a couple of grains of sand between skin and under-armour were enough to leave painful wheals. 

Despite the climate and environment, there were a few bright sports - the brightest of which was a few reasonably satisfying hours spent with a young Chiss Major that she met in a cantina in Mos Ila; he was surprisingly inexperienced, but was a quick learner, and eager to please. Quinn did not seem to approve, to Tirasi’s quiet satisfaction - his mood the next day was foul, in pronounced contrast to her uncharacteristically mellow mood.

When their little crew was joined by Jaesa Willsaam, Trasi could have sworn that she saw Quinn’s eye twitch when he realised that Jaesa and Vette were getting on like a house on fire. Vette was the antithesis of a standard member of the military, and had delighted in tormenting him on occasion - and now the two of them could gang up on him.


	2. Assimilation

As far as Tirasi was concerned, there were only two good things that came out of their mission to Taris. The first was Lt. Pierce, who had agreed to join their crew. Stars, that was a mountain of a man; she was highly amused by the fact that he could deal with her flirting without batting an eyelid, while Moff Hurdenn, standing beside him, was completely unable to cope. The second was an admission from Quinn. As they were trying to get into the reactor fallout shelter in pursuit of General Minst, it had seemed for a while that they might fail, and die. Quinn’s response to her semi-serious question of “Any last requests?” while she was trying to open the shelter door before they were vapourised had been “I believe you know how I feel about you, my Lord”.

The admission seemed to have been what was needed to finally make him act. On their return to the ship, he requested a moment to talk to her. Standing at the stiffest possible parade rest, he told her how her flirting was making him feel, and that according to military regulations, any involvement between them could “cloud judgement and compromise her missions”. Typically for Tirasi, her response was to draw him in for a kiss, muttering “Well, let’s find out. I like taking risks”.

For a few short moments as she pressed her lips to his, one hand snaking around his neck to hold the back of his head, he stiffened against her, trying to pull away. As her tongue gently probed his lips, however, he let out a low groan. One hand came to rest against her back, the other on her arse has he pulled her body against his, kissing her hungrily as she responded in kind. She backed him up against the bulkhead as his mouth worked its way along her jawline, and down her neck to her collarbone, while she used her spare arm to cup the arse she’d been admiring for so long and pull his hips towards hers, making him groan again; she could feel him, half-hard already, pressing against her through both their clothes.

Eventually, Quinn gently pushed her back, and tried to regain some modicum of composure. His voice rasped as he told her how drawn he was to her, but they should not continue as it was improper. Tirasi knew then that it was only a matter of time, and teased him gently - dealing with the unusual and unexpected would keep him sharp, rather than compromising anything. She kissed him very primly on the lips and left the bridge, leaving Quinn looking rather dishevelled, and a little shellshocked.

Tirasi was struggling too - she very much wished she’d been able to bring him to her quarters, to have the chance to explore him, and to relieve some of the craving that she felt for him. “I’m going to start spontaneously sliding off seats soon” she muttered to herself as she returned to her quarters by the bridge. She was ostensibly reading and responding to reports, but was actually imagining Quinn naked, with her, and the things that they might be doing. 

She sighed and laid back, setting the datapad aside. She slid her hand under the waistband of her shorts, hand moving lower to find the wetness that she already knew was there. Slowly, gently, purposefully, she started to rub her fingers over and past her clit, occasionally thrusting them deep inside herself, as she imagined the way that Quinn would feel inside her, the way that his tongue would feel on her breasts, his hands everywhere. Aroused as she was, it was not long before she came, grinding against her own hand and wishing it was something else.

Secure in the knowledge that she was finally making headway against Quinn’s stick-in-the-mud attitude towards relationships with colleagues, Tirasi found all sorts of opportunities to remind him of her presence. She would walk silently to stand behind him as he sat at his post on the bridge, and slide her arms around him and down his chest, or breathe gently on the sensitive point where his ear and neck met before kissing it. She would catch him in passing, and pull him in for a kiss. She always tried to make sure that they were unobserved - for Quinn’s sake rather than hers - but she found it absolutely hysterical when one particularly passionate kiss was interrupted by Vette’s delighted exclamation of “Ewwww - gross” from the doorway. Quinn, however, was mortified.

The more contact Tirasi had with Quinn, the more she was able to sense his moods through the Force when she concentrated. His want for her was increasing with every passing day, and she could feel it as though it was a physical phenomenon, radiating from him in waves whenever they were close, held back only by his formidable willpower. She was almost glad that he and Lt. Pierce were at loggerheads so often - Pierce’s background in black ops meant that he had very little use for Quinn’s regimented approach to life on board the ship; his annoyance and frustration with that situation gave her some respite from the lust that sometimes threatened to consume her in the time between active missions.

Given how much all of her crew typically wanted to accompany her on those missions, Tirasi was amused by the reticence of both Vette and Quinn to accompany her to the surface of Hoth - the planet had a well-earned reputation for being truly frigid. While she contemplated taking Lt. Pierce, she eventually decided to take Quinn with her - she silenced his protests by offering her services to warm him up whenever necessary, which left him blushing and stammering, and absolutely guaranteed that he wouldn’t complain about the cold during their mission.

Tirasi was surprised when, after their victorious execution of Plan Zero, and the addition of the Talz Broonmark to her crew, Darth Baras recalled her to Dromund Kaas - but was less surprised when she heard that Darth Baras’s sights were set on the Dark Council seat of his master, Darth Vengean. With the minimal assistance of Lord Draagh, she assassinated Darth Vengean in his own chambers, much to Darth Baras’s delight. He even granted her, and by extension her crew, leave to celebrate.

She was very surprised, therefore, when Quinn asked to speak to her urgently when they returned to the ship. She was even more surprised, and a little hurt when he asked to be reassigned; the request was promptly refused. His subsequent confession that thoughts of her were overwhelming him, distracting him from his role, leaving him “compromised” was exactly what she needed to hear; the eventual declaration that he could no longer resist her was music to her ears, and the kiss when he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him left them both weak at the knees. She was very tempted to simply drag him straight into her quarters, but decided to increase their anticipation a little more - only partly in revenge for her frustration over the previous weeks.

“Well, Captain, I hope your dress uniform is in good condition. You and I are going out to dinner, and I’m sending the rest of the crew off on a day of mandatory shore leave. Be ready in an hour.” True to her word, she gathered the crew, and told them that everybody would be expected to be ready to leave the ship within the hour, and dispensed a generous number of bonus credits to all to use for their enjoyment over the next day. Jaesa proposed spending her time studying in the Dromund Kaas libraries, but Vette swiftly nixed that idea, and informed her that she was absolutely going to come partying with her, Pierce, and Broonmark, and that all of them should be ready to enjoy themselves. She seemed only a little disappointed that Tirasi and Quinn wouldn’t be joining them.

Tirasi disappeared into her quarters to get ready, as did each of her crew.


	3. Anticipation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tirasi and Quinn go out to dinner.

It was almost an hour later, and everybody except Tirasi was ready to leave - they were milling around on the main deck, making last minute adjustments to hair and clothing. Vette and Jaesa were dressed to party, though Vette’s dress showed the bulge of a slightly-too-large thigh holster. Pierce was dressed in civvies, looking slightly uncomfortable, but willing to indulge the girls, and not bothering to hide his blaster. Even Broonmark seemed to have combed his fur. Quinn, as requested, was in his full dress uniform. The dark grey uniform looked striking on him; it was cut so that his shoulders appeared broader, tapering down to his waist, the trousers were perfectly cut for his figure, and his boots shone.

None of them noticed as Tirasi’s door whispered open. She spent a moment looking them all over with affection before speaking. “Well, Captain, are you ready?”.

“Yes, my…”, he trailed off with a strangled noise as he turned around, his mouth hanging open.

The dress she wore was of the darkest shimmering midnight blue, contrasting magnificently with the rich red of her skin. It appeared to be held in place by willpower alone, sleeveless, clasped at the back of her neck leaving her entire back exposed, displaying an eclectic collection of scars. The neckline at the front dipped down to the bottom of her sternum, exposing the entire row of ridges that chased down it. The hem reached her ankles, with a slit up the right thigh that went so high that Quinn wondered whether she was wearing anything at all under it. Her hair, instead of being in its practical updo, or hanging in a long plait as it usually did around the ship, cascaded down her back in loose curls. She wore low-heeled but elegant shoes.

Vette gave out a squeal of utter delight, closely followed by slightly calmer noises of appreciation from Jaesa. Pierce grinned, scanning her slowly from head to toe, and back again. “You scrub up well, my Lord”. Broonmark muttered something about her freezing to death, and also the fact that she seemed to be going out unarmed. “Broonmark, thank you for your concern, but if I were naked in a blizzard, I would still not be unarmed,” she said with a smile. Quinn had spent the time that elapsed for these exchanges taking several deep breaths, and swallowing so hard that his adam’s apple threatened the integrity of his collar.

“My Lord, you look exquisite,” said Quinn, finally regaining the power of speech. He walked over to where she stood and offered her his arm, noticing at the same time that the scent she wore made her smell of spices, and desire, and fragrant woods. 

As they all left the ship, Tirasi set the ship’s droid on a 24 hour self-maintenance cycle. The group headed to the speeder pad outside the spaceport, Tirasi and Quinn in one plush speeder taxi heading to an exclusive restaurant in Kaas City, and the rest of the crew in a large transporter to one of the more disreputable cantinas.

As Tirasi and Captain Quinn sat in the back seat of the speeder, Tirasi’s fingers started to stroke up and down Quinn’s thigh, and she shuffled over in the seat so that her own thigh was pressed against his. “You know, Captain, never mind dinner. You look quite good enough to eat tonight. This uniform suits you.” “Please, My Lord, if you keep this up then I shall be quite undone.” “There will be quite enough undoing involved in getting you out of that uniform later - don’t you worry.” Quinn gulped. “My Lord…”. “When we are alone, feel free to call me by name, Malavai.”

The sound of his name on her lips, her voice lowered by desire, nearly had him telling the speeder to turn around and return to the ship, but Tirasi reached and pulled him in for a kiss, thoroughly distracting him from everything else until the speeder stopped outside an unmarked door near the centre of the city.

Quinn stepped out of the speeder, then offered his hand to Tirasi to help her from the vehicle - he knew that it wasn’t strictly speaking necessary, but it seemed to be the appropriate thing to do - and it gave him a chance to hold her hand in his, taking the opportunity not to release it as they walked towards the door. As they approached, the door opened, and the maître d'hôtel was bowing to them. “My Lord, Captain. Please come this way”.

The atmosphere inside was luxurious, the sounds of the other diners muffled by the thick carpets and soft furnishings. Soft music played, and the lighting was dim enough to be calming, but bright enough to see. They made a striking couple; Tirasi was aware of a number of pairs of eyes upon them as they were escorted to their table - a semi-private booth towards the edge of the restaurant where they sat side-by-side, looking out into the room.

They ordered a bottle of Alderaanian wine to share; it was simultaneously crisp and honeyed in taste. They ordered food, and ate it - though neither of them would remember any great details of the food afterwards as their attention was so focused on one another. Tirasi returned to stroking Quinn’s thigh, each time edging further and further up, seeing how far she could get before he would take her hand in his, and stop her. For his part, he slipped his arm around her waist, his hand inside her dress, just above the curve of her hip, his thumb gently stroking the side of her rib cage, but refusing to move even an inch higher.

He kept his hand in place as they paid the bill and left the restaurant, and more than one of the other men in the restaurant received a quick kick to the shins from their partners in response to their longing looks at the couple. The maître d'hôtel had procured a speeder taxi to take them back to the spaceport; it was waiting outside. 

The moment the speeder door closed behind them, Tirasi launched herself at Quinn, pulling his head towards hers and kissing him hungrily, slipping a hand up the back of his jacket to feel the warmth radiating from him, holding the back of his head with the other to make sure he couldn’t escape. Quinn rested his hand on her right knee, left exposed by the slit in her dress, and slowly, slowly moved it upwards as they kissed. The journey back to the spaceport seemed to take seconds - the speeder AI had to try three times to get their attention to let them know that they had arrived. 

Quinn smoothed his hair with his hand, and got out of the speeder, tugging at the bottom of his jacket to straighten it, then helped Tirasi out. Once again, he offered her his arm as they walked back to their hanger, trying to appear nonchalant to the rest of the people that they passed.


	4. Satisfaction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Um, sex.

No sooner had the ship’s door shut behind them than their restraint evaporated. Quinn’s hands were on Tirasi’s back, then her arse, pulling her to him and making her whimper as he kissed his way along her jaw, down her neck, while Tirasi was tackling the unnecessarily large number of buttons holding his jacket shut. Succeeding, she pulled his shirt out from where it had been tucked into his trousers, and slid her hands underneath, feeling the muscles of his back. She could feel him hardening rapidly against her, constrained by his tightly tailored trousers. Grabbing his hand, she pulled him through the body of the ship to her quarters.

Pushing Quinn backwards until he sat on her bed, Tirasi kicked her shoes across the room, and then knelt on the floor to pull his boots and socks off, sending them flying after her shoes. Running her hands slowly up his legs, she paused at his crotch, pressing gently with the flat of her hand just to hear him groan from the pressure, then continuing further upwards to tackle the remaining buttons on his shirt, so she could push the shirt and jacket off him together as she kissed him. While he wasn’t bulky, he was well muscled, with the glorious V-shaped muscles and vertical line of dark hair heading down below the waist of his trousers, and well defined pecs and arms. Tirasi pulled him upright again, working at the buckle of his belt, as he kissed his way down her chest and cleavage, pausing at each sternal ridge. 

Finally conquering the belt buckle, Tirasi undid the fastenings of Quinn’s trousers, and pushed them downwards along with his underpants, stretching them out to release his cock, which was standing very firmly at attention, with beads of moisture already emerging from the tip. Slowly kneeling again, Tirasi pulled his trousers further and further down, so that he had only to raise first one foot, then the other, to be rid of them. She reached out and gently placed one hand on each side of his cock, gently swirling one thumb over the sensitive head. He groaned and closed his eyes, tipping his head back, then cried out as she took him into her mouth, running her tongue over him, while reaching with one hand to cup his balls. He tasted of the the sea. She took him in deeper, gently sucking as she did, then let him slide out almost all the way out before gently sucking him in again, and again. 

“No, not yet,” rasped Quinn, reaching down and pulling Tirasi to her feet. He kissed her, tasting himself on her tongue. Tirasi raised her hands to the back of her neck, but stopped when Quinn said “Let me. Please.” He stepped behind her, and ran his hands up the front of her body, registering the hardness of her nipples against the softness of her breasts through the fabric, then used them to move her hair out of the way. Kissing the back of her neck, he unclasped the dress, and let it fall - the silky fabric slithered down her body to her feet, revealing that she had, indeed, been naked under the dress. 

Slowly he walked around her so that he was facing her again, and just looked at her. There was no soft femininity about her - she was as muscled as he was, with an even more interesting collection of scars that were visible to him now. Her nipples were a much darker red than the rest of her skin, with a patch of softly curled dark hair between her legs. 

Tirasi pulled him to her again, kissing him hungrily, her hands wandering over his body as she did so, then took his hand and pulled him to the bed, reclining against the pillows, patting the bed beside her, and growling “Come here.” He did. Starting from her lips, he started to work his way down her body, so very very slowly. His lack of urgency was driving Tirasi mad with need - and so as he dropped his head and sucked and nibbled at one nipple, tweaking the other between his thumb and fingers, she bent her head forward, and bit his shoulder close to his neck - not quite hard enough to draw blood, but hard enough to hurt. He yelped, and looked up at her, shocked. 

“You…you _bit_ me!” he exclaimed. “I did. I need…I need you. Now. Inside.” She groaned, too aroused to speak more. He grinned and slid one hand straight down her stomach, two fingers heading into the short tangle of hair, rubbing down each side of her clit, pulling back, rubbing again. “Like this, you mean?” “Stars. Fuck. Yes.” she panted, arching her back. She was vaguely aware of him moving down the bed, and the first brush of his tongue against her as he began to tease her clit with it, thrusting a finger inside her, seeking the sensitive areas, then adding a second finger, as she was reduced to incoherent whimpers, eyes closed, sheets balled in her fists. He continued, relentless. He felt the first spasms clenching around his fingers as she approached orgasm, and as it broke over her he moved up, plunging into her at last. She shouted as he entered, thrusting deep into her, so aroused that he came within a few thrusts; the feeling of him filling her, and tasting herself on his lips, while her own orgasm was still rolling over her made her dig her fingertips into the muscles of his arse, pulling him even deeper.

He collapsed on top of her, both of them gasping, the orgasmic aftershocks rolling through them for an unmeasurable while. “My Lo…Tirasi.” He raised his head, and kissed her gently, still panting a little. “Malavai”.

She stretched out an arm towards the chest of the drawers at the side of the bed, but they were a little too far to reach. A look of concentration settled on her face, and as Quinn watched, the drawer opened, and a couple of small towels floated towards them. “What? I can use it for things other than killing and maiming, you know!” muttered Tirasi, making Quinn snort with laughter as they cleaned themselves up. 

Quinn pulled her against his chest as he lay on his side, and she relaxed against him as they drifted off to sleep. She felt safe, secure, maybe even something more. It occurred to her later that this was the first time she had ever allowed herself to fall asleep with somebody.


	5. Consolidation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They might just be a couple now.

Tirasi awoke the next morning to find herself alone in the bed, but the mattress beside her was still warm, and she could smell Quinn’s scent on her pillows. Wrapping herself in a light robe, she followed the scent of caff into the galley - Quinn was sitting there nursing a mugful, dressed only in soft trousers. As she appeared at the doorway he reached over and poured some for her too. “Good morning,” he said, putting both mugs down and coming to kiss her, running his hands down her back as though to reassure himself that he could. “Good morning indeed,” responded Tirasi, kissing him more deeply.

She could feel his body beginning to respond as they kissed, her hands moving over the muscles of his back, then under the back waistband of his trousers, cupping his arse and pulling it towards her, feeling him harden more. “Kriff, you’re an evil woman,” he growled, “standing between a man and his caff. If you’re not careful, I’m going to…” “Going to what?” interrupted Tirasi, with a gleam in her eye. “Hmm - I’m going to bend you over this galley table, and have my wicked way with you.” 

“Promises, promises,” said Tirasi with a smug grin, reaching down to stroke his cock through the fabric, making him twitch. “Well, you can’t say you weren’t warned,” he growled, reaching for the tie holding her robe together at the waist, and then pushing it off her shoulders. She stood there naked, and cocked an eyebrow at him, utterly confident in her own skin. “Look, I’m even helping you with your trouser problem,” she giggled, pulling them down so that his cock sprang free, and pushing them down further with one bare foot so he could extract a leg.

With that, he spun her round in the galley and, with one arm wrapped around her waist, used the other to push between her shoulder blades until her head rested on her folded arms on the table, and used a knee to nudge her legs apart. She felt his fingers rub against her, lingering as they met her heat, and into her, making sure that she was ready for him, and then he slid inside her. He used some of that formidable willpower that had allowed him to resist her for so long to ensure that he kept to a slow pace, ignoring Tirasi’s entreaties to move faster or harder. The angle meant that he hit her most sensitive spots on the way in. The hand that had been on her waist moved downwards, rubbing and circling gently around her clit while he kept up the leisurely rhythm that was slowly driving Tirasi wild - the other hand still held her down to the table. It wasn’t until he could feel her orgasm starting to build in earnest, her muscles beginning to clench around him and her breathing becoming ragged that he grabbed her hips and started thrusting into her in pursuit of his own pleasure, his balls tightening as he came shortly after her, gasping her name, burying himself as deeply as he could.

“You know, if that’s your idea of punishment then I’m going to have to be really, really bad,” came Tirasi’s voice, muffled against her arms on the table. “Hmmm - maybe not my best punitive efforts, to be sure,” replied Quinn, looking around the galley in consternation. “Um, Tirasi, you know that trick you pulled last night with the towels…?” “Oh, yes. The Force. Great for murder, mayhem, intrigue and fetching cum rags, apparently. Here.” A couple of paper napkins floated over to them from the container in the far corner of the galley. “And look - the caff isn’t completely cold!”

They spent the remainder of the day lazily - a shower that took them rather longer than it should have, kisses, lovemaking, companionable teasing, and generally adjusting to the novelty of their relationship. As the time approached for the rest of the crew to return from their shore leave, Quinn excused himself, and reappeared dressed as he normally did on board ship. “Aww - so much more effort to undress you now,” said Tirasi, as she sat on the curved sofa on the main deck, dressed in her usual shorts and top, bare feet tucked under her. “Got to give you a bit of a challenge, my Lord,” he responded with a grin.

The ship door clanged as it opened, signalling the return of the rest of the crew. Broonmark seemed to have gone straight to his usual haunt in the cargo hold - it was cooler there than in the rest of the ship, and so they had repurposed the conference room to a training area. Vette and Jaesa came in arm-in-arm, flushed and giggling, followed by Lt. Pierce, who gave them an indulgent nod, and shook his head as they scampered off to Vette’s engine room haunt. He sunk down onto the other end of the sofa with a sigh. “Next time I have to go anywhere with those two, I’m taking a bigger blaster,” he said. “Oh?” said Quinn. The number of propositions that those two received was ridiculous, especially seeing as they’ve just figured out that they’re falling for one another - quite cute really.” He stopped talking and looked, really looked, at Tirasi, then at Quinn. “About kriffing time. I’ve no idea what she sees in you, Captain - don’t screw it up,” he growled, then he hauled his mass up off the sofa and stalked off to the armoury.


	6. Chapter 6

Quinn spent the few days at the start of their journey back to Quesh trying to pretend that everything was normal - that he still ‘lived’ in a bunk in the crew quarters - but quickly realised that he was fooling nobody but himself. 

Almost all of his off-duty time was spent in Tirasi’s quarters - sometimes making love, sometimes sitting on companionable silence as they wrote and responded to reports, pausing from time to kiss or caress one another. He was discovering that Tirasi’s appetite for sex was almost insatiable, and unlike the tales that he had heard about many Sith, she worked to ensure that her partner experienced as much pleasure as she did.

On the third day in transit, while the two of them were lying in a sweaty tangle of limbs on her bed, Tirasi suggested that he move his belongings into her quarters. “Tirasi, it would be most inappropriate…” She propped herself up on one elbow, made a show of examining their intertwined bodies, and raised an eyebrow. “Inappropriate? I have no idea what you mean. I can make it an order if you wish, Captain….” “Yes, my Lord.”

Vette was delighted - though she continued to torment Quinn when she could - especially when she learned that she could make “Captain Stuffy” blush by referring to his relationship with Tirasi. She and Jaesa were spending long hours together too; the two young womens’ relationship was becoming deeper, and they had created a nest of sorts for themselves in the engine room, where Vette spent most of her time anyway. Seeing the way that they seemed to be constantly touching one another, often unconsciously, made Tirasi smile wistfully - at their ages she had been ensconced at the Sith Academy, more concerned with staying alive and the odd friendly fuck than with romance.

Lt. Pierce was keeping himself busy trying to track down members of his old black ops teams to make a full assault on the Bastion on Corellia; if the Empire could capture it from the Republic then it would mark a major turning point in the war for possession of the planet.

The journey to Quesh was almost over; they would drop out of hyperspace in about 13 hours, and Tirasi had already decided that Lt Pierce would accompany her. It should be a swift mission - a day, maybe two - but it would mean that she and Quinn would be spending the time apart. Their lovemaking that night was passionate, leaving them to fall asleep in an exhausted haze, spooned together.

As it turned out, events on Quesh were a little less straightforward than they expected. Darth Baras had sent them to deal with a Republic threat to the venom mining operations there; the republic had discovered disused tunnels under the command post, and were planning to detonate explosives and destroy the Imperial mining operations. They had little trouble reaching the point where the explosives were to be set, and actually surprised the Republic team setting them up. The Republic demolitionists failed to set off the explosives and Tirasi, being in a merciful mood, allowed them to leave rather than killing them all.

The real surprise was that Darth Baras had sent her back to Quesh just to kill her. His apprentice, Lord Draahg, had the working detonator, and took his time gloating before setting off the explosives. That allowed them to get almost out of the range of the explosion. Almost, but not quite. 

Tirasi was semi-conscious, having taken quite a battering from the rocks as they fell, and waiting for the life support systems in her armour to administer kolto and adrenals to allow her to try to leave the tunnel. She could see Lt. Pierce’s foot at the edge of her blurry field of vision - it twitched occasionally. Suddenly, she was aware of two gowned people - Sith, she thought, standing over her and talking to one another. She could make out some words - something about being worthy, making it on her own, and waiting for a day. 

Finding the two strange figures waiting for her at the Imperial outpost when she returned that evening was therefore unsurprising. Hearing that they too wanted to see the end of Darth Baras was like music to her ears - she had expected him to move against her, but had anticipated that he would do so personally, rather than through such an elaborate plan. He was also moving against the Emperor himself, claiming to be the Voice of the Emperor; only Darth Vowrawn was able to hold the few dissenting members of the Dark Council together. This, coupled with her new confidence that she was working as the Emperor wished, meant that she was more than willing to take direction from the mysterious Servants of the Hand.

There was a certain satisfaction in Quinn’s voice when she returned to the ship; “We now fight for the emperor, against Darth Baras,” he said. 

The Hand’s first mission saw Tirasi sent to the Republic prison planet, Belsavis, to kill Darth Baras’s sister - Darth Ekkage. Tirasi learned many things over the 15 days on Belsavis in Quinn’s company - that some Jedi were not so different to her, as she discovered when she worked with Master Timmns to ensure Ekkage’s death; that the Dread Masters could use the force in ways that she had never imagined; and that staying silent and at least partially dressed during sex in a tent was an art form in itself. Tirasi had never been shy, or quiet, but given the choice of being able to take advantage of some of the times that she and Quinn were able to be alone together, or forgoing physical contact, the choice was easy. 

Within a few days, Tirasi and Quinn were using the necessity of silence to enhance their lovemaking, rather than limit it; Quinn seeing how many times he could make her come to orgasm, given limited access to her body, watching her struggling to remain quiet and letting out the occasional tiny squeak, before she would push him back and straddle him, riding him, desperate to have him inside her. Quick sex, in a dusty disused room of an Imperial outpost, with the risk that anybody might come in to find him bending her over a packing crate, thrusting hard. Careful sex, working around a half-healed blaster wound coated in koto.

They also had the safe times on board the ship, in transit first to Hoth to ruin Baras’s plans to keep vital troops idle there rather than helping Darth Vowarwn on Corellia, and then the long trip to Voss. It was one night during the trip to Hoth, in the mellow companionable time when they had exhausted one another, when Quinn started trying to talk to Tirasi about their future together, and long term plans. 

“Tirasi, I have never felt like this about anybody. Stars know why I resisted you for so long - I was a complete fool.” 

“We do seem to be doing rather well, don’t we? I don’t know why you resisted me for so long either.” 

“What do you think the future holds for us?” 

“More of the same, I hope.” 

“Aargh - that’s not what I’m trying to ask - I’m sorry, it’s just not coming out right. Look. I think I’m in love with you - and I want to spend forever with you - maybe even make things official. That’s what I want to say”. 

“Kriff, Malavai, I’m not even sure what ‘love’ means. I know that it feels right when we’re together, and that I care deeply about you. I’m Sith twice over - and I’m only just getting to grips with the concept of being with you for what we have together. I’m not pushing you away - I just don’t know if I’m able to give you what you want, or what you need.”

Tirasi sat up and wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her head on her knees, as if waiting for rejection. Quinn moved so that he was sitting behind her, one leg to each side, and hugged her to him. “We have all the time in the galaxy. I’ll still be here, and I’m likely to ask again every so often.” He kissed her neck gently holding her until she relaxed against him. 

Their mission on Voss was lengthy, hindered in part by the fact that the Voss had forbidden any violence between the Imperial and Republic representatives. The time required for negotiations did at least allow Tirasi and Broonmark to return to the ship for a day or two - she was always glad of the opportunity to check on the rest of her crew, and to be reunited with Quinn for a little while. On their last visit, however, he seemed preoccupied, and when they made love it was tinged with desperation - as though he was trying to bury himself in her, but Tirasi convinced herself that it must be a result of their extended separations for the current mission.


End file.
